The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-10-13
JUANITA'S FATE.


BY HUBERT II. BANCROFT.
In the early mining days of Califor-
MIA it was very rarely that the rough
men laid hands upon a woman to metc
out Justice to her. About the only SEN
timent that had wlthstood tho hard life
of the mines was that laid in earlier days
by the the tender influence of mother
sister or wife, and this had become soft
ly intensified So woven among the fibers
Of the heart was it, so mingled with the
sensuous blood, so wrapped within the
folds of passionate imagination that,
like ash-covered Goals, the drearer the
aspect without the warmer glowed the
fire within. 1t mattered not so much to
them who or what she was ;she might be
chaste and fair or as wicked as Jezebel,
she was the impersonation of their fan
cy-ridden brain, the expression of their
innermost ideal of the beautiful and
good. Then wild, indeed, must have
been the fury that maddened them
against a woman; and never was insen-
safe wrath more manifest than among
the miners of the Yuba for miles on
either side of Downicville, when
on the morning of July 5, 1851,
it was known that q comrade had
been slain, butchered with long, sharp
knife, by a woman. Sex was suddenly
lost sight of, obliterated by the whirl of
passion, which left nothing in sight but
the bloody deed. Joe Cannon killed
Cut to the heart by a womanl The
words were appalling. Joe was the
favorite of the camp, the finest fellow
that ever swung pick or dislodgcd a
bowlder. He was over six feet high,
straight as poplar, with limbs as clear
as those of a newly barked madrona.
His nearly 24o pounds of weight was all
muscular, his chest was like that Of an
OK, and the arms of Hercules hung from
his shoulders. And yet he would not
harm fly; though his sinews were hard
his heart was softness itself. Joe gone!
Stabbed to death, and by woman! Joe
was the soul of honor. He knew moth
ing Of cheating and chicanery. lie was
not very learned, being single and sim
pie in his thoughts, and double dealing
found no place in his nature. He liked
his occasional froiics, but, though he
could laugh and carousc with the best
of them, he was kinder in his cups, if
possible, than out of them. There was
no poison in his heart that the fiery
liquid could bring to the surface. In
noblcncss he was giant, in guile a
child. Joe Cannon dead! Stabbed in
the breast, and by a woman!
Slowly the full force of the truth was
realized. All along the muddy Yuba
and up its discolored tributaries the
tidings spread from claim to claim like
an electric message, until for miles
around Downicvilc were heard the cries
of "Murderw "Joe Cannon killed !''
"Cut to the heart by a womanH They
dropped pick, pan, and shovel; water
was left to run to waste and the gold
unmatched in the bottom of the sluicc
boxes; from up and down the Yuba and
from its discolored tributaries stream
of angry miners began to pour into
town. Five thousand men were gathered
in Downievillc that day. Mingliug
with the miners that throngcd the
streets were traders, packers, gamblers,
politicians, and professional rascals.
The decd was done at 10 o'clock, and in
an hour later dense crowd pressed
around the unfinished tenement of split
boards into which the unfortunate man
was carried Within lay the dying
miner upon punchcon floor. Standing
around the prostratc form were half q
score of miners fresh from their work,
with wooden shirt sleeves rolled ur
above the elbows and ovcralls
tucked into the tops of their
ponderous and muddy boots. Silent
ly and solemnly they stood with grizzled
heads uncovered and slightly bowed,
while on the contracted brows and COM
pressed lips sorrow and anger struggled
for mastery. Silence within and with
out, until at length the murdered miner
ceased to breathe; then from the deer
stiffness faint murmur began, which
gradually grew to low and terrible
buzz. Fresh arrivals came pouring in.
Strangers asked, Who is he2 Who
killed him2 Where is the murderer
Presently the centre of the mass bega
to surge in a definite direction; they
were full enough of purpose then
Most significant of all was the almost
silent buzz, which was the low purrins
of the blood-thirsty beast about tt
spring upon its prey. She was only "a
and little woman, too. Scarcely fv,
feet in height, with slender, symmetri
cal figure, agile and extremely graceful
in her movements; with soft skin o
olive hue, long black hair, and dark
deep, lustrous eyes. Her name wa
Juanita, and her Spanish blood was di
luted with the aboriginal American
The man she killed could have pickec
her up with one hand and tossed he
into the Yuba River.
Although Joe Cannon was stalwar
Britisher. he could not LET the immorta